EXCLUSIVE: Lightdox has acquired world sales rights to documentary A Secret Heart, ahead of its world premiere in the ACID independent sidebar a
EXCLUSIVE: Lightdox has acquired world sales rights to documentary A Secret Heart, ahead of its world premiere in the ACID independent sidebar at Cannes this month.
Switzerland- and France-based Lightdox will conduct sales on the title at the Cannes Marché du Film (May 12-20).
The debut feature for French filmmaker Tom Fontenille, A Secret Heart follows his father Patrice, grieving after the death of his partner and Tom’s mother Yolande. The discovery of secret cross-dressing ignites Patrice’s transition into becoming a woman named Lilou.
The film is co-written by Fontenille and Valentine Bonnaz, with production led by Helen Olive and Martin Bertier for 5à7 Films. Backing came from the CICLIC – Centre-Val de Loire Region, in partnership with France’s CNC.
“Over the last 4 years, Lilou left her secret life behind, becoming a 64-year-old woman who enjoys DIY, gardening, cycling and looking after her grandchildren,” said Fontenille. “As I accompanied her through her transformation, I filmed a family healing its wounds and reinventing a place for everyone. This is my family, Lilou is my father.”
Lightdox founder Anna Berthollet described the film as “a project that shows a one-of-a-kind intimate perspective on a personal and family transformation.
“We were struck by Tom Fontenille’s camera as an instrument to unlayer his father’s mysteries, capturing their evolving bond amid grief, transition, and a changing family dynamic,” said Berthollet.
The film joins a Lightdox slate that includes Lana Daher’s Venice Giornate degli Autori selection Do You Love Me, and CPH:DOX 2025 titles Agatha’s Almanac and Flophouse America.
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